Vacuum sealing can



Sept. 20, 1938K.

F.4| DARLING' VACUUM SEALING CAN Filed Nov. l5, 1935 gmc/who@ Patented Sept. 20, 1938 PATENT' OFFICE VACUUM sEaLING CAN Frank L. Darling, Douglaston, N. Y., assignor, by lmcsne assignments, to Crown Can Company, Philadelphia, Pa., al corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 15, 1035, Serial No. 50,019

i 1 Claim.

My invention relates to certain new and useful" improvements in cans for packing coffee, malted milk and other food products.

The present invention is a modification of the generic invention disclosed in my application Serial No. 20,838, filed May 10, 1935, and it has for its principal object to provide for the use of a vulcanized soft rubber elastic sealing ring or rings as the sealing element.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which' will be first fully described in the following detailed description, and then be particularly pointed out in the appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in Which:--

Figure 1 is a detail vertical cross section on the line I-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a can embodying the invention.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view showing the plug-closure about to be pressed down.

Figures 4 and 5 are similar detailed views of modified forms of the invention.

In the drawing, in which like numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, I represents the can and 2 the seam between the can I and its top 3.

The top 3 has a filling opening which is bounded by an upwardly and outwardly flared flange 5. Surrounding the fiange 5 and spaced from it is an upstanding bead 4, that portion of the top 3 between the flange 5 and the bead 4 serving as a seat against which the annular supporting portion 9 of the plug-type closure 6 rests in order to prevent contact between the cut edge of the flange 5 andthe crown 8 of the closure 6 when the closure is forced into place.

The closure 6 includes an annular wall 'l which mer-ges with the crown or upstanding bead 8. The bead 8 serves as a cover for the flange 5 and also` has a seat or stop for the sealing ring I3, or rings I3b and I4 (see Figure 5) as the case may be. y

rI'he outer edge of the closure is extended upwardly and outwardly in order to provide a rim I2, from the extreme edge of which, at suitable intervals, extend points I which overlie the bead 4 and are spot-secured thereto as at II, as in my former application aforesaid.

The flange 5, making an angle with the wall 'Lprovides a V-shaped pocket I5 into which the sealing ring I3 projects. The ring I3 may be a rubber band of suitable dimensions and may be cut from^a rubber tube if desired.' In addition to the ring I3 a second ring I4 of elastic rubber or of plastic may be used to overlie and receive the cut edge of the flange b, as shown in Figure 5.

In Figures 4 and 5 are illustrated modied forms of the invention, In Figure 4 those parts which correspond in purpose or function to those of Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, bear the same reference numeral plus the index letter a, while similar parts in Figure 5 bear the same reference numeral plus the index letter b, so a detailed description of these figures is thought to be unnecessary. In Figure 5, I4 designates the second rubber ring (or plastic substance, if such be used) that embeds or receives the cut edge of the ilange 5b.

'I'he stop 9b in Figure 5 prevents the insertion of the plug-closure to such a distance as would permit the cut edge of the ange 5b to cut through the ring I4, or, in other words, to limit the insertion of the plug-closure so as to stop it before 5b can pass through I 4.

With the construction shown and described, an elastic rubber ring can be placed around the wall 'l (la or 1b) and as the closure is forced down the ring I3 will enter the V-shaped space I5 and be squeezed into tight sealing contact with the ange 5 and wall l, the suction, due to the vacuum in the can, serving to assist in drawing the ring I5 into tight sealing engagement (see Figures 1 and 4). The ring, being of soft vulcanized rubber, is of course deformable and will be drawn or pressed down into the V-shaped space I5 to tend to completely ll it (see Figure 5, for example).

The annular stop 9, as before intimated, serves to prevent the plug-closure from being forced down too far and prevents the edge of the flange 5 from cutting through the sealing element I4, if such be used.

The present structure, While cheapening the manufacturing cost somewhat, possesses many of the advantages of my previously designed can of the application aforesaid, in that it will effectively hold the vacuum and will be self-venting upon generation of pressure within the can.

If desired, in the manufacture of the can, the plug wall 'l may be slightly tapered to permit the cut ring I3 to be easily placed on or slipped on, and furthermore the tapering will assist in the pressing of the plug into the can. The rings I3, if cut from tubing, will be very cheap to manufacture and the expense of molding or squirting a plastic compound into the crown 8 (or 3a,` or 8b as the case may be) is avoided.

It .should of course be understood that the points I0 are secured to the can lightly, as in my previous application, so that they will become detached on the generation of dangerous pressures within the can and yet hold for ordinary pressures to allow the plug-closure itself to Yact as a valve for venting purposes.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought that the complete construction and advantages of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

What I claim is:

In a can having a filling opening bounded by an upwardly and outwardly flared flange, a plugtype closure fitting into said opening, and having an annular upstanding wall merging with an annular crown portion which overlies said flange on the can, said flange and said annular upstanding wall providing between them a space having, in cross-section, substantially the outline 'of an acute angle, and a rubber elastic sealing 'adapted to contact with said ared wall in such closed position, means to arrest the insertion of said closure before the edge of said ange can touch said crown portion, said closure having points adapted to be secured to the can and by virtue of which the closure itself may act as a pressure relief valve, the movement of said sealing ring within said acute-angle space upon closing movement of the closure causing said sealing ring to be wedged and entirely seated between said upstanding wall and said ared flange, and upward opening movement of said closure with said sealing ring thereon resulting in establishing a vent between said sealing ring and said ared flange.

FRANK L. DARLING. 

